


Journey of a Warrior

by Gsmith1030



Category: Kung Fu Panda (Movies)
Genre: Character Study, Character Thought, Covers the shorts up to the first movie., Gen, Implied familial issues, Kung Fu, Not secrets of the masters though., Some angst, Tigress character study, character introspection, dark themes, martial art
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:08:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23276866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gsmith1030/pseuds/Gsmith1030
Summary: From the cub at Bao Gu, to a respected warrior who protects China, This is the story of how she became who she is today.
Relationships: Oogway & Tigress (Kung Fu Panda), Po & Tigress (Kung Fu Panda), Shifu & Tigress (Kung Fu Panda), Tigress & The Furious Five
Kudos: 16





	1. Chapter 1

The sky was covered in darkness, with no moon or stars in sight as they were all enshrouded by dark clouds, a result of a particularly unsettling downpour. The wind blew the rain relentlessly against the trees, causing them to sway, and the occasional tree branch to break as a result of the torrential rain. The ground was drenched beyond absorption, resulting in puddles of rain that were scattered across the forest floor. The pouring rain and raging winds were the only sounds that could be heard, until the sound of frantic footsteps splashing in the puddles, and hard, heavy breathing accompanied the stormy night. Enveloped in the shadows, two figures were racing down the forest path in a frenzied manner, despite the heavy wind and rain.

Danger was fast approaching, and turning back was no longer an option.

Doing so would only mean death, with this in mind, the two figures hurried on, stopping in seldom to catch their breath and then continue on. Adorned in golden robes that have long since been soaked with rain, their exhaustion from their extended trek was apparent, but they were determined to keep running, intending to get to safety.

The two figures running together consisted of a male figure who possessed a strong, buff-like build and the other with a slimmer, more feminine build, yet still strong—a female, who appears to be clutching a bundle tightly to her chest, as if it were a precious treasure, swaddled in cloth—an infant.

Determination and fear were surging through their veins, pressing them to keep up the pace. Up ahead, they reach an area surrounded by hills, realizing this, they gradually slowed their pace. Naturally, their kind possessed the strength and speed to traverse across hills and rough terrain with ease, and were strong climbers by nature, however, with little time they had to escape, they had picked only up small portions of food, enough for them to carry as it was the last things on their minds.

Their top priority was to get to safety.

After much effort, they eventually reach the top of the hill. On the other side, sits a towering, round structure silhouetted in the blackness of night. A stroke of pure white lightning illuminated the sky briefly, revealing this structure to be a huge house that was several stories high.

They proceeded to the entrance of the structure until they reached up to the foot of the door. A sign at the top of the door read:

‘Bao Gu Orphanage.’

Just one day ago, they had everything that they could have ever wanted; a home, where they could safely raise their daughter, where they could watch her grow and blossom into the woman that she was meant to be. Just yesterday, they had waited for the night to turn into a new day, where they could watch their daughter open her eyes and look up at them, her parents, and remind her that she was safe, and that she would be loved.

Who could have predicted that this young family would lose everything in one night?

They have nothing left.

They no longer had the means to care for their daughter, who is only but a few weeks old, leading them to make a decision that no parent would even think of making; letting their daughter go, and leaving her behind.

By doing this, they hope that she could live a normal life, by having a normal childhood, and, eventually getting adopted into a nice, warm, loving home where she could grow and flourish into the woman that she was meant to be.

Having made their final decision, albeit with reluctance, they had set their daughter down on the doorsteps of the orphanage with their hearts heavy, and tears from a grieving mother as mother and daughter shared one last long look, knowing well that this would possibly be the last time that she would see her daughter, today, she was saying goodbye to her. What mother could ever stand to have to say goodbye to their child? Especially since that she had only got to know her daughter for a few short weeks.

Leaving her with no other choice, she turned around in the opposite direction, joining her husband, this time without their daughter tow.

After tonight, they would not know what would become of their daughter, and who she would be. Had they found out that their daughter was alright, they would have sighed with great relief, but carry sadness and regret in their hearts, knowing that they would never get to see what kind of a woman that their daughter would blossom into.

* * *

_‘Tigress.’_

That was the name that was bestowed to the female cub—a tiger. Whoever her parents were did not leave any indication as to what the cub was named, instead, the matron of the orphanage had chosen to name her for who she was.

As the cub got older, her natural strength had started to show, as was expected for a tiger cub, she could have easily picked up most, if not all of her peers effortlessly as the orphanage had consisted mainly of bunnies, pigs, geese, and ducks. However, with the cub being as young as she was, and possibly one of the few, if not the only tiger that resided in the orphanage, she was not aware of how strong she truly was.

Through no fault of her own, the cub also possessed a natural fiery temper, as a result, the other cubs of the orphanage were afraid to play with or befriend the cub. She couldn’t place to reason why the others were so afraid to play with her, or be her friend, after all, like any other cub at her age, she just wanted a friend. In these instances where she wanted to play with the others, only for them to scream in fear of her, often resulted in angry fits, frustrated at her own inability to play with or interact with the other cubs.

Soon after, this fear would soon turn into a perception that was placed on the cub—a monster. In fear, the other cubs would taunt and bully her for what she had that the others did not, claws and fangs. They often told each other to be weary of the “monster” of the orphanage.

Despite this, the cub still attempted to play and interact with the others, only for them to disperse in panic in fear of being attacked by the “monster”. The caretakers then started to fear for the lives of the other children and as a precaution, they separated her from the other children, by not allowing her to join them at meal times or other gathering times. They even had her moved to a separate bedroom that was far from the others, with a door made of metal that would bolt shut to prevent her from escaping.

With all this, the cub didn’t understand at first why the other cubs her age were afraid to play with her or be her friend, why didn’t the caretakers let her be with the others? However, as time passed, she had begun to form the motion within herself that others had placed on her, she believed that she was a monster. No one wanted to play with her, to be friends with her, or even to be close to her, no one would want to be anywhere close to a monster like her. Who would want to adopt someone like her? Even the adults were afraid of her.

The caretakers within the orphanage had no idea with what they were going to do with or how to deal with her, how to help her.

They needed help.

One day, the cub was locked in her room when she had overheard the voice of the matron. Curious, she went to the door and had taken a peek through the lock hole to get a better idea of what she was saying.

Outside, she could make out the familiar shadow of the matron, who appears to be with a smaller shadow of someone she didn’t recognize. It appeared that the two were conversing about something.

“Nobody will come here to adopt a child because they’re afraid of her. She’s a monster…a monster!”

The cub let out a gasp after hearing what the matron had said to the other figure. Feeling distraught at what was just said, she retreated to a poorly lit corner on the other side of the room and settled down on the floor with her body facing the door.

Eventually, she hears the metal door open behind her and someone stepping into the room.

“Tigress?”

Tigress turned around to the figure behind her at the sound of his voice, despite the poorly lit room, she could make out the outline of the smaller figure in front of her—a red panda. She looked at him with her eyes narrowed.

“I am Shifu, I am…”

“Afraid?” she asked bitterly.

Shifu closed the door behind him. “No.”

“Well you should be! I am Tigress! Tigress the Monster!” Her expression had turned into one of sorrow, “A monster that no one wants.”

“You are not a monster.”

Surprised by this, Tigress turned her head towards Shifu and let out a soft gasp. Did she hear that right?

“You’re just a little girl.” He stated in a firm, but gentle voice.

Lost in thought, she was not aware that a set of wooden tiles had been placed in a semi-circle on the floor, until she had heard the sound of one of them, does she regain her awareness. Shifu picked up a wooden tile to present to her.

“Let us play.”

Tigress tentatively reached out for the wooden tile presented to her and grabbed a hold of it, however, due to a lack of control over her strength, she shatters the tile in her grip, causing half of it to fly across the room, to which Shifu managed to skillfully catch in mid-air.

“You must learn to control your strength.”

The two of them were in another room at the orphanage where the training started. Shifu began making slow, graceful arm movements, much like flowing water, while Tigress tries to mimic his movements.

“This game requires discipline, precision, a still hand, and a steady heart.”

In the process, though, Tigress accidentally punches through a wall, forming a hole. Terrified screams could be heard behind the wall from where some spectators had been scared off while watching her train from behind the door.

“Focus.”

__

The training continued on for days. Which turned into weeks.

Eventually, it turned into months.

However long it would take, the cub was determined to push through. If the training succeeded, in her mind, she could finally be like the other kids. She could participate in the games they often play, she could sit with them in the large dinning hall and eat with them, while they played games, told stories or jokes, while she would consume a warm meal, compared to the often cold meals she would be provided while she was isolated. While they kept her full, by no means did it taste pleasant. She could join them in the courtyard, where they would not be afraid to come up to her and ask her to join them. She could join them by the large bonfire where stories of legends were told, the children looking on with looks of awe as the caretakers or storytellers that were hired would avidly describe how the hero with unparalleled skill singlehandedly defeated an entire army, saving the village, or how the lone hero traveled from one village to another, turning chaos into peace, and asking nothing in return. While they heard these exhilarating tales, bowels of congee, hot dumplings and rolls would be passed around, filling both their stomachs and their hearts. She would no longer be the monster that the other cubs often whispered of behind her back.

She would finally be a normal cub, just like those around her.

No matter what, she had to try.

The training itself was not of skill, strength, or prowess. It was a training of the mind. When Tigress first woke up in the morning, she would eat breakfast like she normally would. The training would then start off with a series of Tai-Chi moves that were meant to calm the mind and steady the heart, and, like before, she would attempt to place the tiles in a pattern that was specified of her, a tree, a turtle, just about anything that comes to mind. After setting up the tiles, she had to knock them over to reveal the pattern that she had created. As the tiles were very fragile in nature, she had to be careful to not shatter the tiles. If she did, she had to start the exercise over. Another exercise she would perform was that the tiles were tossed into the air, and she had to catch the tiles mid-air without accidentally crushing them in her grip.

She was not always successful.

“Again” Shifu would announce every time she messed up.

However, as time went on, she started to make progress. When she was arranging the wooden tiles into various patterns, she would not break the tiles as often as she did when she first started. When she had to catch the tiles, they would not break as often in her grip as it first did.

Through time, patience, and persistence, she had finally got enough control of her strength to where she could handle the tiles without shattering them. She could arrange them in various patterns effortlessly, while managing to not shatter them in her grip.

In the end, it was through persistence and discipline that allowed her to finally get in control of her fiery temper and explosive strength.

Some of the children of the orphanage, along with some of the caretakers had been watching Tigress as she had progressed through the exercises. At first running in fear when she accidentally punched through the wall, or broke an object during training. But as time grew, they were in awe of how she was eventually gaining control of her strength. The way that the tiles were placed, or how she caught them with grace was simply beautiful to watch.

There are some, though, that did not get to watch how Tigress progressed in her training. They did not fully believe that she had reigned in her strength and temper.

All of the children and caretakers were gathered in the courtyard. Surrounding Tigress in a circle as one by one, she gently and effortlessly placed the tiles on the ground below her, without managing to break them in any way, placing them with careful and practiced steps. The crowd watched in anticipation as Tigress continued placing the tiles, not once loosing her patience, or her grace.

When she finally placed the last few tiles on the ground below, she gave it a gentle tap with the tip of her claw. One by one, each of the tiles tumbled into the other in a quick, synchronized succession, as it formed a beautiful image of the Yin and Yang symbol that was colored in gold and bronze as the sunlight hit the reflective surface of the tiles.

In front of her, Shifu gave her a small nod of approval, and closed his eyes in understanding. She had successfully completed her training.

From behind her, she could hear the cheers from the crowd behind her, as they all went in to embrace her in a large group huddle. The caretakers even gave her some encouraging pats on the back, head, or shoulder, indicating that everything is going to be okay.

Sometime after the crowd had long dispersed themselves, Tigress sat herself at a nearby table where she had some of the tiles in hand, unexpectantly, a couple of bunnies came up to her with no fear in their expressions.

“Can we play with you?” One of them asked

“Yeah, we want to know what the game is.” Piped in the other.

“Wait. You’re not afraid of me?” Tigress questioned; nervousness still laced in her tone.

“No, of course not!” The first bunny said.

“You were never a monster, you are just like the rest of us.” The second one finished.

“Yeah!” Another gooseling added from behind.

One by one, the children started to gather around Tigress in a show of interest.

“And we want to say, we’re really sorry for the way we’ve treated you.” Another duck piped up from behind.

“Yeah, we’re really sorry.” Another added in.

Finally, a piglet come to the front.

“Will you forgive us Tigress?” The piglet questioned, a hopeful look in his expression.

Despite the way she was treated, hurt as she was, she did not fully blame them for cowering away from her. Instead, her heart felt full and her spirit was raised as she finally interacted with the cubs, who were not afraid of her, no longer running away in fright. Instead, they approached her, asking if she wanted to be their friend, play a game, or sit with them during dinner.

She had finally gained the trust of the children and the other caretakers of the orphanage.

However, there will still the adults that were still not willing to adopt her.

After all, she was still someone with fangs and claws.

As she was playing with two other cubs who took turns placing the tiles on the table, intending to create a picture. From behind her, she heard the soft ringing of a bell, signaling the beginning of the next adoption day. As she looked at the wooden door behind her, it opened slowly to reveal a group of adults who were willing to adopt.

Joining the other cubs, she rushed out to the front of the orphanage in high hopes of finally finding a family.

By the days end, no one was willing to adopt her.

As the sun was setting, she stood alone at the front of the orphanage with her head down, and her ears flattened against her head.

This was not the first time that she had failed to get adopted into a family, and while it was not something new to her, it still did not hurt any less than all of the other times.

She had gained the trust of the children and caretakers of the orphanage, but the adults were still afraid of her, and were still not willing to adopt her. Despite many attempts to prove to them that she was not the monster that they painted her to be.

Would she ever find a family?

From behind her, she felt a hove gently touching her shoulder in a comforting manner, pulling her out of her musings. Behind her, the matron gave her a look of understanding

“Come dear. There’s always next time.” The matron attempted to reassure her, as she gently guided Tigress back inside the orphanage.

Left alone to her own thoughts, she found a table with chairs situated under a shady tree, despite the receding sunlight. In her paw, she still held one of the many tiles that she had used in the game just days before. Earlier today, she had high hopes in finally getting a family of her own, only for those hopes to be dashed as soon as they got a look at her. They always told her that there would be another chance for her next month, and the months that followed ahead.

‘Was she ever not meant to go to a family of her own? Like all of the other orphans often described of when they talk about how their new parents or grandparents will treat them once they’re adopted.’

In front of her eyes, a second tile joined the one she had stood up previously, before a small hand came into view did she look up to find a familiar red panda standing before her.

Instantly, her features brightened up in hope.

“Shifu!” She exclaimed with elation.

“Come.” He simply told her.

Not needing to think twice, she bounded across the other side of the table, before racing up to the side of the receding figure, walking in step with him, before the two finally stepped out through the door that lead them outside of the orphanage.

The two walked together in a comfortable silence before Tigress looked over to the side, to see the red panda had given her a brief smile, before returning to the usual calm expression he normally held.

Tigress, however, could not help her curiosity.

“Where are we going?” She finally asked with a hopeful light in her eyes.

“To the Jade Palace.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter covers Secrets of the scroll.

Several years have passed.

In the courtyard, a bit of a breeze came in, sweeping the leaves off the ground that had previously littered the floor, and had taken them on its path. In the middle of the courtyard stood two individuals, one of which was a young female Tiger who was dressed in tan, long-sleeved robes, and was standing still, awaiting her instruction. The other was Master Shifu, the one who had been training her in Kung Fu for the years that she’s lived in the Jade Palace.

Since the day that Tigress had been taken out of the orphanage, she had been training relentlessly for years to become a Kung Fu master. As the years have passed, her training had become increasingly harder and more intense. More was expected from her as she flourished into her teenage years, as one day, she would become the future protector of the famed Valley of Peace. However, her adolescent years were far from perfect.

“Hold your ground! Steady! Strong! This is the way of Kung Fu!”

These were the very words that Tigress often heard her master repeat during her training sessions as she tried in vain to emulate her master’s Kung Fu style, though, this often ended up with very little success. This had become a daily routine.

Today was no different.

Already as her training begun, her form had already been corrected several times. Her chin was not straight, her stance was too wide, her legs needed to be lower, and her arms were not facing up. Focused, she started to thrust out her arms, as If she were punching an imaginary opponent. She extended out her left fist, followed by her right, and repeated this action once more.

Again and again she went. However, her focus started to wane as she noticed the leaves that started to blow past her. Though still continuing her routine, her focus instead shifted towards the leaves that flew in front of her. She began to feel something in her that was natural, yet unfamiliar. Attempting to regain her focus, she noticed that her tail began to move in a hyperactive manner, and used one of her feet as an attempt to stop the tails’ movement. However, regaining focus was getting increasingly harder for her as she involuntarily bared her teeth and growled at the leaves while still trying to maintain her form.

“Focus! Control!”

Tigress’ vison aimed at the leaves and mistakenly extends a palm, instead of a fist. Unable to hold it in any longer, she releases one final growl and leaps up into the air. She than proceeds to punch at the leaves, dividing them into fragmented bits.

She felt free, this was natural.

As she landed gracefully on all fours, her vison returned back to normal. She was happy with the way she felt—free, and with no constraints…

This elation, however, was short lived as her master’s voice brought her focus back to the present.

“What are you doing?! This is not proper form! This is not control!...”

_Not proper form_

_Not control_

“And stand on your feet!”

Realizing her mistake, she recollected herself. “I’m sorry master! I—I don’t know what got into me.” She responded, “I won’t let it happen again.” she affirmed.

But it became apparent that her master thought otherwise.

“I wish I could believe that.” He sighed in disappointment. “100 Laps.” he ordered.

“Yes, Master Shifu.” she quickly abided, and started running on both of her feet around the perimeter of the courtyard, intending to complete her task.

“Higher Knees!” he reminded her.

“Yes, Master Shifu!” She responded as she quickly adjusted her form to where she was running around with her knees raised at each step.

Once again, she’d disappointed her master.

Though this was not the first time that this kind of thing happened, it was also not a very common occurrence for it to happen during training. She had been reprimanded by her master in the past for getting out of the ‘proper’ form of Kung Fu during training. Today’s words, though, seemed to carry harsher tone than what she was normally used to.

Just how could she have let it happen again?

As she was completely focused on the task she was given at hand, she’d failed to notice that someone had entered the courtyard in a rushed manner, appearing to be exhausted, as if he had ran up a mountain. Had it not been for her master to keep him propped up, we would have fallen to the ground at this point, due to the state he was in. While she did not hear the entire exchange between the two masters, her sensitive hearing did manage to pick up a few words, enough to know that something was amiss.

“..Defeating the masters one by one…heading this way…only you can stop him.”

The valley is in danger. But who was it exactly that was attacking the valley?

Eventually, her training ceased as her master decided to train, to prepare to fight whoever was threatening the safety of the valley. Sometime later, she stood in the same courtyard where she had trained earlier, and, from afar, observed her master train. He appeared to be punching slabs of stone as they come towards him, moving on something that was like a conveyer belt that was being controlled by a servant. From behind, Tigress observed him in awe, and even attempted to mimic his punches as he obliterated another stone into pieces, spreading the dust everywhere as some went towards her, yet still continued to mimic his next punch. From behind she’d heard a familiar voice.

“He’s been at this all day, hasn’t he? The voice inquired.

“Yes! He’s amazing.” She stated in awe, “I’ll never be like him.” She turned despondent as her stance wavered slightly, all while using her foot to stop her hyperactive tail.

“No, you won’t” He responded in a calm manner.

Oogway, the other master of the Jade Palace, known for his infinite words of wisdom that she failed to understand at times, yet, also carries an air of humbleness and enlightenment, while also having a gentle demeanor that one would expect for a grandfather to possess. Tigress had known him for the years that she’d been at the Jade Palace, and this was not the first time he’d told her to focus on being herself, to be Tigress. For the years she’d been told this, she never fully understood what it meant to be Tigress, and today was no exception. The aged tortoise walked up to her master to gain his attention.

“Shifu, there’s a matter of the upmost importance.”

“What could be more important than preparing for battle?” Her master inquired with some uncertainty in his voice.

“Food!” was his response as he held up what looked like to be a flyer from a local restaurant, showing many of its food items that are available to order. Her master still looked to him with questioning glances.

“Let’s order in.”

The place that they were ordering in from was not just any restaurant in the valley, but a well-known local noodle shop that was famous for serving the best noodles in the valley, and is often frequented by its regular customers. Because of this, it would not be unusual for Oogway to want to order food from there, despite the Jade Palace never ordering from that particular shop. After deciding what they wanted to eat, one of the goose servants from the palace was sent down to the shop to order and pick up their meal.

Later on, as they were enjoying their meal in the hall of warriors, her master somehow fell ill, and was now sitting in a wooden chair, slumped in a feeble position, and his fur taking on a sickly green hue.

“What was… in that food?”

With him in this state, how was he going to fight that boar?

As if reading her sentiment, the tortoise master sent a servant off to fetch a doctor to diagnose his illness.

“He’s in no condition to fight that boar.” She commented softly.

_He can’t fight, can’t defend the valley._

“I can hear you.” He remarked.

This was not the first time that her words had been picked up by his unusual sensitive hearing, and was usually used to this kind of thing, still, this time around had caught her off guard.

“Tigress is right, you need reinforcements.” Oogway affirmed in a wise manner.

_This was the chance to prove herself, to finally make him proud!_

“Master…” She took a few steps forward and made a fist-in-paw gesture, lowering her head a bit in a bow, “It would be an honor to fight for you.”

“No! You are not ready.” Shifu interjected, leaving her momentarily dispirited.

“Get me a scroll.” Immediately, a goose attendant had fetched a blank scroll as requested. In the scroll, she saw him writing something down, rolling it up, and handing it off to the same attendant. “This is a list of four warriors. Find them in the Wang Fu Village, and hurry.”

“No. Send Tigress.”

Not letting the chance to impress her master pass by, she presents herself to him yet again in a kneeling position, her palm flat on the ground.

“Master, I won’t disappoint you.” She affirmed at once.

With a nod from Oogway, Shifu reluctantly decides to let Tigress peruse the task, and finally hands her the scroll.

“Be back before dawn. Do. Not. Fail Me.”

“I will make you proud.” She assured him.

She quickly made her way to the front of the Jade Palace steps to begin the mission, however, as she was going down the thousand steps. A sharp pain or sensation traveled up through her body, making her fall forward and loose grip of the scroll she was given, she tried to get herself to stand up, but felt as though a heavy weight had been placed on her, rendering her unable to stand.

“Uh, pardon me. I’m here to see Shifu. I’m am the, uh, doctor.” The unknown voice announced to her. She, however, was unable to respond due to the state she was in. Suddenly, she started to regain feeling to her legs, and up to her body, taking in a big breath of air, as if something had been lifted from her being. “Oh, sorry.”

She paid no attention to the voice as she was focused on the task at hand. Standing up, she noticed the scroll rolling down the steps and into the valley.

_Wait._

“The list! She exclaimed, quickly running down the steps in an attempt to grab a hold of the scroll that she had dropped as it rolled down the steps. On her way down, she could have sworn she’d heard something along the lines of “Nice meeting you.”, once again, paying no heed to the voice as she kept on.

Her continuing pursuit of the scroll eventually lead her down into the valley, and into an alleyway at the back of what appears to be a shop of some sorts. Sitting on top of the pile of trash was a scroll that looked exactly like the one that she was sent with, without a second thought, she picked up the scroll from its current position and continued on her way.

After traveling for some time, she’d arrived at her first stop—A village, while the sun was still high. She slowed down her pace, and quickly began searching for the building that she needed to go to. Eventually, after receiving directions from a local villager, she’d arrived at her destination.

_Lee Da Kung Fu Academy._

Perhaps the one thing that the Wang Fu village is known for, is the famed martial arts school that has resided just outside of the village for generations, where many Kung Fu aspires have trained and continue to train. Besides the Jade Palace, this school had gained a reputation of its own, making it pretty well known.

Tigress arrives to the entrance of the latter, with the scroll in hand, she unrolled it to read its contents.

 _Huh_?

“The Cleaner?”

_These do not sound like conventional names a master would hold._

“It must be a codename.” She concluded, as it could have been the only logical explanation for the vague names written in the scroll. Without further hesitation, she opened the doors to the academy to be greeted with the sounds and grunts of the many rhino students training, all of them punching their fists out in a synchronized manner. A clear path visible, Tigress walked along the path quickly and presented herself to the four red-panda masters who were situated above a raised wooden platform.

“Masters, the valley is in great peril. Master Shifu sent me here to fetch four warriors.”

At once, the students all of a sudden ceased their training, presumably, at the command of the masters, as if knowing what kind of danger lies ahead.

Looking down at the list, she announced “I’m looking for…” She looks to one side to see an avian using a mop to clean the floor in front of him, bucket of water on one side, focused on his task at hand, “The cleaner?”

She’d notice that he heard her and suddenly stopped what he was doing, “Uh, yes?” He replied, carrying on a nervous tone.

“Right.” She walks up to the avian and bowed to him briefly, “Master Cleaner, it is an honor to meet you.” The rest of the occupants of the room looked toward the avian with a piqued curiosity. “Master Shifu has asked that you return with me to the Jade Palace. You are needed there.” She ended her statement in affirmation.

However, the reaction she got from him was not what she had expected. He instantly perked up with interest, “The Jade palace?”

When a simple cleaner like himself was called to assist the Jade Palace, who would refuse a chance like this to go?

“Ye-es! I—“He momentarily replied before righting himself, realizing the attention was on the both of them. “Yes, of course I’ll go.” He replied.

_One down._

“Good. We must hurry.” She ushered, as both her and the avian were leaving the school. As they neared the entrance, Tigress could hear him cry in joy, “The Jade Palace! I’m needed there!”

After the both of them were some distance away from the academy’s entrance, Tigress unraveled the scroll once again to view the list.

“Let’s see, who’s next?” Tigress looked at the list, “The…Comedian?”

This time, accompanied by ‘the cleaner’, the two set off to the next village not far from where they were. The village was quaint, and quiet, as was expected for such a small village. In the center of the village square was a local tavern that is known for its local talent that often performed there, such as musicians, storytellers, and even the occasional theater troupe that visited the village to perform. As the duo were approaching the tavern, Tigress was about to knock on the door when it suddenly opened with a crowd rushing in panic, as if they were in immediate danger, momentarily confusing Tigress, until a sheep patron came up to her, looking at her as if something terrible had happened. The expression on his face holding one of horror.

“Do not go in there. He's so _bad_!” He expressed in panic before running out of her sight.

“Excellent!” _The second warrior_.

“Hello?” Tigress looked past the entrance to the inside of the building. “Master Comedian? I’ve been sent by Master Shi—“

But before she could finish, Tigress gasped in surprise as someone suddenly came face-to-face with her as he was hanging upside down from the top of the door—a monkey.

“Is everything alright?” She asked in concern.

“Sure, I killed in there.”

Within his reach, the monkey took the scroll from Tigress, and unrolled it to read its contents. However, the expression he gave seemed to suggest that he was unable to decipher the contents of the scroll.

“I cannot read this.” He quickly dropped the scroll back in Tigress’s paws. “It’s upside down.”

“Master Shifu asked that you return with me to the Jade palace.” She informed.

The reaction she had gotten from him was very similar to the earlier reaction of the Crane. The monkey gasped in joy, and crashed to the ground in his elated state. “The Jade Palace?!”

On any given day, when you are summoned to the Jade Palace for any reason, how could this kind of offer be refused? Tigress noticed that the monkey appears to be in a dazed state.

“Master?” She attempted to grab his attention. “Master Comedian?” She inquired, getting him out of his dazed state. “Will you come?”

“Yeah, sure.” He responded lightly.

The three warriors then went to the next village in an attempt to find the next warrior on their list—the dancer. When they arrived at the center of the village, Tigress yet again took out the scroll and unrolled it to double check the list. In front of them were a series of posters, from wanted criminals, to advertisements, to announcements on various events going on in the village, including a poster of an upcoming performance of a well-known ribbon dancer in the village. Tigress took a glance at the poster, when a sudden realization came to light.

_The Dancer._

The ribbon dancer was exactly the person who they were looking for. After briefly asking around in the village, it turns out that the ribbon dancer was from a pretty well-known family, therefore, finding her would not impossible. In the outskirts of the village stood a decent sized home, not small like all the other homes in the village were, but not large and extravagant like the manors that the nobles would reside in. The trio climbed a small flight of stairs before reaching the entryway of the house. After being allowed to enter, Tigress, like before, respectfully presented herself to the two snake residents before her, inviting the dancer to come with her to the Jade Palace as she had been summoned. Not surprisingly, the snake gave the same reaction as the other two ‘warriors’ from earlier. She’d left out a soft gasp of surprise.

“The Jade Palace?” The female snake turned to the older male snake sitting beside her. “Oh, Father, I’ll make you proud.” She stated with some elation.

“Oh, I’ve always been proud of you.” The older snake responded with affection, leaning in towards her to prove his point.

_I’ll make you proud._

_I’ve always been proud of you._

Something in that statement did not sit well with Tigress. Those same words she said to her master, hoping for his affection. The many years of training, from the orphanage, up until now, she had never heard those words said to her at any point in her life, for as long as she had known him. She briefly began to have flashbacks of the many attempts during training, trying to get into the correct form, or getting that punch, or kick to perfection, hoping that at the slimmest chance, he would praise her efforts. Instead, she would either get no response, or would get harshly critiqued in return, which often ended with him physically correcting her form. To hear the older snake say these words easily to his daughter, is not something that Tigress was used too. She herself had never gained any words of affection from her master, yet here is this snake saying the same words to his daughter, the very words that Tigress wished to hear, but has never heard for the time she has trained at the Jade palace. 

Feeling disconsolate, she quickly ran out and stood outside of the house, lost in thought. Through her mentally foggy state, she failed to notice that the warriors, including the Dancer, had already exited the house. But a voice managed to finally break through her contemplation.

“So, who’s next on the list?”

_Huh?_

“What? Oh, yes.” Snapping back to reality, she pulled out the scroll and unrolled it to reveal its contents.

_One more._

“The Doctor.”

_Wait? When she first left the Jade Palace to complete her search for the warriors, she had fell forward on the steps and lost grip of the list as a result. When she could finally get up, she could of sworn she had heard someone say that they were the doctor sent in to look over her masters condition._

_“I’m the uh, Doctor.”_

_That means…_

“Oh, He’s already there!” She exclaimed. With that, her search was essentially complete. “Let’s Go!”

With the sun still up in the sky, the warriors started their trek back to the Jade Palace. For a while, Tigress ran with them in the same way that she had been traveling from village to village finding the warriors—on two legs, in a sort of jogging formation. However, she began to realize that she was going slower than she expected, at this pace, she would never reach the Jade Palace before the sun set.

To make matters worse, the warriors that she was traveling with were outrunning her, traveling at about twice the speed she was running, or rather, jogging. Even at continuing speed, she was still several paces behind them, slowing them down.

In the corner of her eye, she noticed that the comedian had caught up to her, and was running in the same way she was now, before he quickly glanced at her and let out a mischievous laugh, he leaped into the air and started running at a faster pace on all four of his limbs, leaving behind a dust trail. Glancing up, she noticed that the cleaner quickly flew past her, catching up to the comedian, while the dancer quickly slithered under her legs to catch up to the others.

These warriors somehow were traveling faster than her, the comedian ran on all four of his limbs, the cleaner took to the skies with his wings, and the dancer slithered past, covering more ground. Just how did they do it?

Tigress stopped momentarily and looked at her paws, where a sudden realization came to her; these warriors were simply using their natural instincts to travel, more likely using them on a daily basis. She, on the other hand was traveling in a form that did not feel natural to her. But these warriors, who were handpicked by Master Shifu, were simply traveling in ways that was natural to them. Normally, she was able to keep her instincts in check while training, but there were times when she would get into what felt natural to her, only to be harshly reprimanded for getting out of form, which, much like this morning, has been happening more often as of late. Just now, she felt something deep within her that she had not felt in a while. Running on all fours? If these warriors were traveling in ways that was natural to them, then what’s the worst that can happen?

In a leap of faith, she leaped into the air and bounded on all fours, giving in to her natural instincts, and this time, not holding back. Almost immediately, she caught up to, even outran the other warriors by a few paces, and was running twice the speed than she was previously, if not even more, which came as a surprise to her. As she ran, she felt elated that she did not have to suppress her natural instincts as she was trained to do.

For the first time in so many years, she felt free.

However, as they were running, a small rock mound came into view, blocking their way. Just when she was about to collide into it, her vision became focused on the rock, as if it were an adversary, and bounded into the air, her arms in front of her, and her paws flat, she used her momentum to desecrate the rock into a bunch of fragmented pieces in the air. Just as quickly as she leaped, she began to descend into the water below. She closed her eyes to brace for the impact of the water, however, it never came.

Opening her eyes, she looked down and realized that she did not hit in the water, instead, only her reflection showed on the water’s surface. In front of her, the dancer was slithering across the surface of the water, as if she were gliding through the air. Looking behind, or rather, up, the cleaner was flying above her, and was carrying her by her feet secured in his talons, held upside down. Soaring upwards, she felt him release her until she landed on top in a standing position on the back of the dancer, essentially riding on her like a moving log in the water, or a boat moving downstream. Looking above, she observed the comedian walking in the water on wooden stilts, letting out a laugh as he did so.

The group quickly climbed up the face of the cliff until eventually reaching the edge, did they jump onto the land above, entering a forest, where they ran, flew, slithered, or jumped from the tops of trees, while traveling down the middle of the forest path, until the group as a whole rode down the top of a tree as it leaned towards the ground. They then continued their trek on foot, laughing in elation as they did so.

“Now I know why Shifu choose you.”

“Really?” The cleaner asked enthusiastically, “Why?”

“Because…”Tigress looked to the rest of the warriors, “You’re amazing!”

Amazing they were. The fact that they could travel across land and water in such a short time was nothing like what Tigress had ever seen before. If they kept this up, they would be back to the Jade Palace in no time.

“At this pace, we’ll get there just in time.” Tigress stated with elation as they kept running.

“Great! Can’t wait!” The cleaner echoed her sentiment.

As the sun was falling and the moon rising, the warriors continued to travel at a steady pace until finally reaching the Jade Palace by the time the moon had fully shown, and the sky had already blackened.

Tigress, however, did not get the result she expected.

Standing in front of her master were the other warriors that she’d found, with the exception of the doctor, who was standing behind the two masters in front of her. At present, she was attempting to catch her breath, while deciding what words to say next.

“…And with the Doctor, you have the four that you requested.” Tigress concluded her statement. “Might I add,” Tigress bowed to him, fist-in paw. “It was an honor to server you.”

However instead of a compliment in return—

“Why, Tigress,” His voice brought her back to the present, “What is this?”

_What? I thought…_

“The—the warriors on your list.” Tigress responded with uncertainty, as she pulled out the scroll from her robes and handed it over to her master. He then unrolled the contents of the scroll to see if it was the one she was sent with, then quickly rolled it back up, not satisfied with the result.

“This is not my list! Where are the warriors that I sent for?” he demanded in a harsh tone, throwing the ‘list’ off to the side in anger.

_But, how, how is that possible? Did I somehow…?_

“I-I don’t understand.” Tigress looked down, unable to comprehend it all. “It must be an accident.” She responded with the only logical explanation that she could think of—she somehow picked up the wrong scroll, instead of the one that she was sent with. Unknowingly recruiting four random strangers instead of the warriors that he requested. But, just how did she manage to pick up the wrong scroll?

“Ah, there are no acci—” master Oogway attempted to say, but did not finish as an extended palm immediately silenced him.

Tigress immediately kneeled in front of her master, bowed her head, and put her paws in a paw-in-fist gesture. “Master, Forgive me.” Tigress pleaded.

“You disappoint me.”

You disappoint me.

For the second time today, she’d disappointed her master. What was supposed to be a simple task, ended up in disaster. While this kind of thing was not new to her, it did not hurt any less than all the other times before, if not even more so, as this was the first, and, possibly the last chance she had at proving herself to her master outside of training. Especially when there is an immediate threat to the valley that looms.

“Who will defend the valley now?” Her master questioned in a low voice.

“Wait, we can help Tigress.” A voice piped up from behind her, looking to the side, she’d notice that the cleaner had helped her up from her kneeling position.

_Huh?_

“What?” Tigress asked curiously.

“We can…fight…a little…bit.”

“Yes, you can count me in too.” The dancer added.

“Let’s do this!” The comedian declared with finality.

“I’m not actually even a doctor, so I’m in.” The doctor was walking towards the rest of the group to join them, but was stopped midway before he could fully get to the others.

“You can help by leaving.” Her master pointed towards the stairs.

_These warriors volunteered to fight for a home that is not even theirs! I have to do something!_

“No, no, master, please listen. I have seen them. They have skills!” Tigress tried to convince him as he was receding back into the Palace.

“But they are not the warriors I sent for!” He interjected, and then let out a couple of sickly coughs, reminding her of his predicament.

To say that she disappointed him was an understatement, however, still, it fell on her all at once, the mixture of emotions that no one could even find the words to describe. Elation, sadly, was not one of them. She had one task to do, a simple one at that, only for it to blow up in her face, simply because, somehow, she had picked up the wrong scroll, and the four warriors behind her were not the warriors that her master had summoned. If she would have been more careful...

In response, Tigress took on a disheartened expression and bowed apologetically to her master without a word, then turned around to the other four warriors behind her.

_I’m sorry._

“It’s been an honor to know you.” Tigress addressed to them in a dejected manner.

“But Tigress?” The dancer inquired in worry, voicing all of their thoughts as a whole.

“I’m sorry.”

_I really am._

Without as much as a single glance behind her, she quietly began her decent down the thousand steps. With a weight in her heart, and a loss of confidence—a sense of failure that ran deep within her. As she descended down the steps, she noticed a goat servant running up the stairs in a panicked manner and briefly turned around to see that he was headed towards the top of the stairs, presumably, to alert the masters of something. Whatever it was, there was nothing that she could do to help. Without paying further heed to the situation above, she continued her way down the thousand steps, her heart had sunk.

_A looming threat was coming to the valley, but there was nothing she could do to help._

As the night grew on, she eventually found a place that was most familiar to her—the sacred peach tree of heavenly wisdom, the place where she often retreated to after yet another disappointing day in training. It was here where she would contemplate where she went wrong, and how she would try to improve herself, to make things right, to become the student to be proud of.

To make _him_ proud.

But today was different, it was not just a simple training exercise that she failed to execute correctly. She had to summon warriors that would assist in protecting the valley from an oncoming threat, but because she did not find the correct ones, she inadvertently put the entire valley, and everyone in it in danger.

What can she do?

As she was sitting at the edge of the hill, overlooking the valley, lost in thought, she failed to hear footsteps approaching from behind her at the base of the hill, slow but steady, with an additional clicking sound of something bumping against the ground, until it eventually stopped.

“A cleaner…” A familiar Voice piped.

“A comedian, a dancer, and even a little doctor.” He remarked as he put his staff off to the side and sat next to her.

“It was no accident that you found them.” He assured wisely as he rolled up the scroll within his grip.

_“But they are not the warriors I sent for.” She remembered him scolding her._

_“You disappoint me.” He said in a low voice._

Indeed, it was not an accident, but a mistake.

“I failed Shifu.” She lamented in her disappointment.

“Worse...” She turned around to look at the aged turtle beside her “… you are failing yourself. “He imparted as he glanced up at the peach tree above them. “No matter how much you try, you will never be Shifu. The question is, can you be Tigress?”

A gust of wind blew past, getting her attention, she wanted to ask what he meant about being ‘Tigress’. She turned around, only to find that he was making his way down the hill, before disappearing from her sight completely.

While she failed to understand what he meant, as with the other times he had given her wisdom, she knew one thing—she had to make things right, somehow.

It was too late to try finding the correct warriors, and the ones that she did find were sent away, and possibly long gone by now. She had to do this on her own, despite her lack of training.

Left with no choice, she bounded on all fours down the hill, and started to head in the direction of where she had heard that the boar would be. Her determination revitalized.

Eventually, the landscape quickly transformed from the grassy hills to the thick of trees that appeared to surround her on all sides, stretching endlessly for what seemed to have no end, still, this hardly mattered to her as she continued to race down the middle of the forest path on all fours, until she reached a clearing, did she finally stand to her usual height.

Alone. She mentally braced herself for what was to come, despite the fact that, even through her years of training, this would be the first time she would utilize all that she had learned against an actual opponent. Physically, she took deep breaths in a slow, rhythmic succession to calm the uneasy feeling within her, and regain her focus.

Before she could fully ground herself, the sound of footsteps from behind the tree could briefly be heard before the trees that once occupied the area were obliterated to bits by a strong show of force. In front of her, an opponent of an enormous size was heading towards her. His steps letting out loud reverberating sounds with each step he took.

“I am Boar!” The opponent boastfully proclaimed as he neared Tigress.

_This is it. There’s no turning back._

As the boar was approaching her, Tigress immediately got into the ‘form’ that she often practiced with; she spread her legs apart, “I hold my ground.” She held out her arms, fists facing up, “steady.” She remained firmly planted in a fighting stance, “Strong. This is the way of Kung Fu.” She recalled the words that her master had consistently echoed to her during training.

As she remained in this stance, ready to take on her adversary, he briefly looked in the opposite direction before continuing to progress towards her. “So, you’re gonna stop me?” The boar cackled arrogantly. “Let’s see.”

Tigress thrusted a fist at the boar as he approached her, intending to land a strike. However, as it made contact with her adversary, the strike she managed to land on him sent her back several feet, while somehow still managing to maintain her stance, the force of the rebound creating an indention in the ground below, clearly showing the path she made when she slid across the ground. Behind her, a small mound of dirt and rock surrounded her from behind. She briefly looked around to get a sense of where she was, however, when she looked to the front, she briefly saw a cloud of dust from the rebound before quickly clearing as her adversary quickly advanced towards her.

“Is that all you got?” he mocked in an arrogant manner, as he approached Tigress.

“I’m disappointed!”

_You disappoint me._

He rounded a series of blows while Tigress remained on the defensive, her paws up above her head as she tried to barricade herself from the incoming punches that came her way at a fast pace. A few times almost losing her footing.

“I was…” a few punches managed to break through her defenses, disorienting her. “expecting…” more punches, “a challenge!” He mocked yet again as he delivered the last upward punch, the force behind it enough to send her flying some distance though the air, until she landed in the dirt some distance away, face down, unconscious.

_No. No._

_I…_

She tried to will herself awake, but found no success.

While her world remained black, she felt herself being lifted up, as the arrogant laughs filtered through to her conscious, mocking her, before she felt herself moving through the air at a fast pace, the wind briefly hitting against her. She was starting to descend, preparing herself for a harsh landing on the ground.

That never came.

Something, or rather, someone…slowed her descent. Whatever, or whoever they were, had sharp limbs, but not enough to pierce through clothing or fur, had caught her, and briefly lifted her up, before gently placing her on the ground. Her position was adjusted.

In her mind’s eye, a series of flashbacks from her earliest days at the Jade Palace, her training, the events of today that led her up to this point, from the hope that flowed through her veins, to the disappointment she felt at having disappointed her master, and putting everyone in danger.

_I had a duty to the Jade palace…_

_To the valley…_

_To my master…_

_To everyone…_

_And I…_

_I…_

_I’m sorry…_

_I faile…..._

“don’t move sweety.” A feminine voice gently chided, like that of a mother.

“You know what the best part of the joke is…?”

_Huh?_

She started to come around, things were starting to look bleak, however, a series of voices that she could not miss started to break through to her. Curiosity getting the better of her. She tried again to will herself to open her eyes. She managed with some success, her vision starting to clear. In front of her, she saw a series of figures, no warriors! Who were using various ways to fend off the boar.

A crane.

A monkey.

A snake. Who was currently standing behind the boar.

_How is this…?_

_But I thought master…_

_Hadn’t he sent them away?_

After she found out that they were not the warriors that her master had sent for!

She saw how the ‘warriors’ worked together to fight the boar, despite them having little to formal training in kung fu. It was their natural instincts that shone through, is how they managed to land some damage to the adversary. Currently, they have regrouped in front of Tigress in protective stances.

Despite being turned away, told that they were not the ones. They still came to her aid when she needed it the most. They took up the challenge when most would have lacked the courage to do so. It didn’t matter that they were not the destined warriors.

They made a choice to fight!

“What are you doing? You are nothing!”

Nothing

“I just defeated Shifu! The board proudly boasted.

_Oh._

_What?_

_Words that were said to her frequently suddenly popped into her head._

_“Young Tigress. You must grow into who you are meant to be” a sagely voice advised._

_“Again!” A gruff voice barked._

_“I will never be like him.” Tigress lamented sadly._

_“No, you won’t.”_

_“I won’t fail you!” She’d proudly declared to him._

_“You will never be Shifu.”_

_No. I will never be._

_“But the question is…?_

_“Can you be Tigress?”_

_I’m not…_

_I’m not…Him_

“No.” she breathed out, pulling herself up off the ground. “I am not…Shifu.” A rush of adrenaline, and of something else, something familiar coursing through her veins. Her vision changes focus, her pupils constricting, and her claws drawn for battle. She bounded up in the air, extending her arms out, the move ripping in half the traditional training robe she wore. In its place is a red qipao underneath, with black leave patterns decorated on either side. The one she had always worn, but kept it hidden under her robes. Her fangs bared.

_“I am Tigress!” she proudly declares._

Feeling a rush that she did not have in her earlier, her instincts kicking in, she lunged at the boar, managing to land a punch to his face. As it were second nature, for every punch and blow that he threw at the tigress, she manages, in a show of power and grace, to deflect most, if not all the blows directed at her, and even landing some of her own. Eventually, she gained the upper hand, landing even more blows to her opponent with ease.

Landing on all fours, she ran at a pace to boost her momentum before once again leaping into the air, arms out, both paws extended outward. She used the force of her momentum to land a powerful strike against the boar, enough to push him back, stunning him.

“Alright, all together.” Tigress instructed.

As if on que, the rest of the ‘warriors’ ran by on either side of her, and leapt along with her in a synchronization fashion, fallowing her as if they were one. Taking the lead, she started preparing to lead them in landing the final blow.

“Twist your hips.” She did just that. “Recoil.” She bent both her legs back. “And extend!” Just after a beat, in an opportune moment, the warriors worked as one, with Tigress at the lead, delivered the final strike, in the form of a kick, at the boar, who flew back a great distance before landing on the ground hard enough to be subdued.

Time seemed to have slowed to a crawl.

He’d admitted defeat.

The dust around them had settled around them, signaling the end of the fight. They were all breathing in exhaustion. But, a sense of victory has flowed through them all.

Its over! They’ve done it.

They won!

As if needing confirmation, they all turned towards the boar, to find him on the ground in a heap lying face down, unconscious. Indeed, they had successfully defeated their adversary who posed a threat to the valley.

“I guess we’re done here.” Tigress stated, as if needing to confirm that it was all over.

“Hey! We could be a team.” The primate piped up.

_We really did make a good team._

“Yes!” Tigress excitedly added in.

“Great!” The crane followed soon after.

“What should we call ourselves?” The praying mantis questioned.

_A team name?_

__

On the journey back to the Jade palace, they happily talked about the battle they’ve just won, about other things, and also what they could take on as their team name. The overall feeling of elation surrounding them.

By the time the sun was high enough in the sky, they started to traverse the steps that led up to the Jade Palace, still juggling around team names. About halfway up the steps, the new team of warriors took a moment to glance up at the beautifully carved structure that was the Jade Palace. Tigress has lived here since she was taken out of the orphanage, and already was familiar with the look and layout of the Jade Palace. But that did not put her less in awe of how ethereal the ancient building truly is, every time she entered the Jade Palace, she never failed to be in awe of its beauty. To think that she has lived here for so many years. For the warriors, however, this is, possibly, the first time they have seen the Jade Palace in person. They have heard about the aged yet ethereal building, and how it came to be. They have seen it depicted in paintings, usually in great detail. Though, the way they see it now, they realized that no painting, no matter how good the artist was, could truly depict how magnificent it really is. They had wished to at least get a glimpse of the Jade Palace from afar, how it sat proudly atop the mountain, overlooking the valley below, reminding those down below who their protectors are, or soon to be protectors will be. From students, to Kung Fu masters, and even commoners alike, those who got to see the palace from afar can be considered lucky that they will have remembered seeing it. Those who got the slightest chance to even enter the palace for any reason, can consider themselves very honored to have done so, some even consider it an accomplishment if they got the chance to even take a glance of the inside to see the legendary artifacts that are held within. If one ever got the chance to actually stay and train under the tutelage of the legendary masters that resided there, they will have been given the greatest honor that they could ever give. To become its protectors, is akin to reaching up for the stars, or even ascending into the spirit world.

Would they even stay here?

After a moment of awe, they continued up the steps, continuing their conversation, until they reached the doors that led them to the training courtyard. Inside, the two masters that Tigress had been training with, and grew to respect, who were previously conversing before turning around to face Tigress and the new group of “warriors.” Master Shifu, Tigress noticed, looked way better than he did when she first left the palace, dare she say that he looked like he had never been sick at all. How he would have recovered so quickly from his illness was beyond her. Not that she had any doubt to begin with.

Immediately, she presented herself to her master with a brief paw-to-fist gesture and bowed in respect.

“Sloppy. Very sloppy.” Her master commented, making Tigress drop the look of elation she previously had not a moment ago. After all this time, she still couldn’t…

“Your technique is unorthodox and undisciplined. Training begins right away.”

Disheartened, Tigress immediately positioned herself into the same stance that she had trained with earlier that day, or rather, for the years that she’s trained at the Jade Palace. About to prepare herself for another day of the usual grueling training regimen. However, …

“Tigress, what are you doing?”

Not expecting the question, she quickly turned around to see her master standing in front of the wooden doors to the training hall.

_Is he really…?_

The next thing she knew, he opened the doors, letting the wind blow through before she walked up to the newly opened door, which revealed all kinds of training equipment. Or rather, an obstacle course that was designed to strengthen the various aspects of Kung Fu, no matter what who they were, or what style the possessed. All of the equipment had a thin layer of dust covering them due to a lack of disuse over the years. She couldn’t help but smile at the prospect of getting to train in the course. It was said that it was one of the deadliest training courses ever built.

She was willing to give it a shot.

“It’s time to develop this… Tiger Style of yours.” He declared with a hint of fondness in his tone. Not only does she get to try out the new training hall, but ever since knowing her true style, to get a chance to develop it further. She could not be more elated than she is now.

That was until she heard the words that she had been wanting to hear since she entered the Jade Palace.

“I am so proud of you.” She looked to the side to see a brief, if not small smile that was showing on his face, confirming his statement.

Behind her, she started to hear the retreating footsteps of the other warriors behind her as they were about to leave the training grounds.

I almost forgot…

“Master.” She called out to him, trying to get his attention. After realizing what she meant, he turned around to the backs of the retreating warriors.

“Wait!” He called out to the “warriors” who were just about to leave. He picked up his staff and held it behind him. “You’re welcome to stay. You fought well. With courage and honor.”

One by one, starting with the praying mantis, her master began to examine them individually, sometimes moving limbs, and commenting on how they can be applied to Kung fu. After finishing off with the tree snake after realizing she had no legs. He turned his full attention back to all the warriors currently present.

“We now have five new Kung Fu Styles to perfect.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you for checking out this story. Thank you to all of my friends on discord for your encouragement is writing this, without your support and encouragement, this story would have not even be possible. This was originally supposed to be a one-shot, but with how long it has gotten, I have split this story up into three parts. The third part is coming soon, which is a condensed version of the first Kung Fu Panda movie. It will mainly feature scenes that will highlight Tigress as a character, four to be exact. I do not have a window of when I will release it since I have not started on the actual chapter as I will be changing the format of the chapter than what I had originally planned, which will take a bit of editing my outline to get the format that I am planning to go for. College has stepped up for me, along with me currently having a part-time job, which gives me little to no time to work on the third part, but I am planning on writing and releasing it eventually, I hope, in the summer time. But I really can't make any promises right now on when I will release it.
> 
> Again, thank you for all your encouragement, and I am looking forward to when I finally do release the final part of this story. While reviews are not required, I would highly appreciate if you tell me what you thought of the story so far. Feedback is welcome and accepted. I would recommend that you subscribe to this story as you will receive an email from the site when I do publish the final part. Hope to see all of you soon.


End file.
